I have a 2008 wrangler Sahara 4dr that I want to 1.) Increase the overall life of the vehicle and 2.) Decrease my fuel consumption.

I changed the oil about 2 weeks ago with AmsOil 0w-20 with the absolute efficiency oil filter and wow! I could feel more power and I raised my hwy mileage from 18 to 21mpg. My next step seems to be freeing up the intake now.

first off increasing the overall height of the vehicle and decreasing fuel consumption do not go together. Second a K&N air filter is great way to increase fuel mileage. The best way to increase your mileage by far is the Superchips Flashpaq. Its an engine tuner and will tweak your engines computer to any number of settings to increase performance and fuel mileage.

__________________Next to creating a life the finest thing a man can do is save one.

Hope you don't mind me butting in here LogRace.com but this sounds interesting.
Do you have any details about the Superchips Flashpaq CruserBruiser? Maybe a website so we can learn a bit more about it?

Knowing that OEM Engineers are trying to do everything they can to increase the mileage (CAFE), I just cannot understand that all these "gadgets" will improve mileage.. Are these Engineers that dumb...
May be someone can post some technical background details supporting these claims..I always like to learn..

What would you recomend?
It took me 27 years to get a jeep and I want it to last!

Any airfilter will get fouled if the environment is dusty; that's a given.
But there is something that a Jeeper can do to mitigate contaminant intrusion into his/her intake system --- raise the intake! Gravity keeps most of the dust at fender height or below; the particles get lighter and smaller as you go higher.
Get a snorkel.

AEV makes one and gives you the option of a "fish bowl" prefilter (great for people out west who don't crawl in dense forest) or a "ram air" intake (more durable but no prefiltration).

River Raider also makes a zippy aluminum one, also without prefilter.

If you run the prefilter, your choice of filter isn't as complicated; get what you like. I'd still stick to the OE, the new Amsoil if they ever get the part released, or the AFE dry filter.

Like Antigoon said, the Jeep engineers figured out most of what keeps the thing running for the long haul. Things that you see advertised in full-color ads should be looked at long and hard and objectively, if possible.

Knowing that OEM Engineers are trying to do everything they can to increase the mileage (CAFE), I just cannot understand that all these "gadgets" will improve mileage.. Are these Engineers that dumb...
May be someone can post some technical background details supporting these claims..I always like to learn..

[rant] you make it sound like engineers get all the say in a vehicle when its produced... gadgets come behind the engineers focusing on one thing usually per gadget and perfects it (usually) or atleast makes it more USER compliant. engineering is difficult and you have to have a smart head on your shoulders but dont think that the engineers are perfect nor do they produce perfect stuff... ALOT of the time the designers/engineers have specific perfect specs but have to compromise because of either the company they work for or the cost and manufacturing... if the jeep wrangler was perfectly engineered it would cost alot more money than it already does...and would have taken alot longer time to engineer.

why wouldnt all car manufactures use higher flow aluminum intake tubes instead of the flexible rubber ribbed crap that hinders flow? maybe because of cost? manufacturing? or because thats just what they always have put in them? why put restrictive exhaust? prolly because of EPA and all the rules they have to comply to that an aftermarket kit doesnt have to... there are alot of things that make you wonder why not? engineers arent perfect but that is in no way disrespectful, i know several engineers and i almost became one but after being in maufacturing for several years now, i totally understand the corperate cost factor... [/rant]

[rant] you make it sound like engineers get all the say in a vehicle when its produced... gadgets come behind the engineers focusing on one thing usually per gadget and perfects it (usually) or atleast makes it more USER compliant. engineering is difficult and you have to have a smart head on your shoulders but dont think that the engineers are perfect nor do they produce perfect stuff... ALOT of the time the designers/engineers have specific perfect specs but have to compromise because of either the company they work for or the cost and manufacturing... if the jeep wrangler was perfectly engineered it would cost alot more money than it already does...and would have taken alot longer time to engineer.

why wouldnt all car manufactures use higher flow aluminum intake tubes instead of the flexible rubber ribbed crap that hinders flow? maybe because of cost? manufacturing? or because thats just what they always have put in them? why put restrictive exhaust? prolly because of EPA and all the rules they have to comply to that an aftermarket kit doesnt have to... there are alot of things that make you wonder why not? engineers arent perfect but that is in no way disrespectful, i know several engineers and i almost became one but after being in maufacturing for several years now, i totally understand the corperate cost factor... [/rant]

USA...goon is a retired driveline engineer; he knows a couple things about how the Big-3 go about screwing with engineers' dreams...

well i guess my rant fell on veteran ears, i have a bad spot for that thinking that OEM is perfect and everything should be left alone because my dad is/was a honda tech and believes firmly that nothing other than maintenance should be changed out and only use OEM parts when available.

he also thinks im an idiot for my 89YJ and everything i have been doing to it... rubs me the wrong way i guess... sorry for the rant.

i have nothing bad to say about the K&N airfilter. i have used it on several of my vehicles, typically DD's that dont see much dirt roads or offroading if at all.... so i cant say hilldweller isnt right about the dirty conditions and combo of a oil based filter... but it makes sense and if i can i will prolly put an AEV prefilter snorkle and a drop in filter if money allows.

and if money isnt much of an issue the volant has a complete system out similar to the AEV but also replaces the stock air box and tube.

PR0 5 FILTERS: Volant's high performance 5 layer (4 cotton gauze / 1 Synthetic) air filters are made of the highest quality textiles, pleated between a top and bottom aluminum screen. Each filter comes pre-oiled and ready for use. This design will allow the highest air flow rate possible and a very long filter life. Use this two stage kit to thoroughly clean and re-oil the high flow Pro-5 performance filters. We recommend cleaning the filter only when very dirty or 12,000 miles

but you can get a AEV prefilter snorkle for $329 and a drop in K&N filter for your stock air box for about $50 with shipping about $400 total... $300 less than the volant which could be put towards a superchip flashpaq that can also help with performance and mpg...

Thanks for the links. Very informative. I, too, was thinking about putting in a K&N. Believe I'll pass. I've only run K&N on road vehicles in the past that just didn't get into a dusty environment. Never noticed any increase, but "everybody" recommended them, so they must be doing something, right?

I found one instance where a K&N was a good choice. Get a Harley where the oil pump check valve leaks. Park the Harley all winter. When you start it up, the crankcase is full of oil and the engine pukes all that oil into the air cleaner. With a K&N, it's oiled anyway.... (real solution: fix the oil pump or do not let the bike just sit for months!)

btw my honda vtx 1800 is fuel injected... no problems btw its also for sale, but only because i want to buy a JK and dont have all the funds

Are you sure you're not just telling yourself that and are really selling it cuz you figured out that all the cool guys ride Harley's . . . not Japanese rip offs?

Just so I'm not completely hijacking . . . I was running a K&N filter in the stock box for a while but pulled it after hearing one too many reports about it allowing dust to pass thru and hearing about how the factory system is set up to where there is no air flow reduction the way it is, so there's really no need for a filter that allows more air, but possibly other stuff you don't want to pass thru. I'll sell it for 20 bucks if anybody wants to give it a try themselves. Also, from what I've read, the cold air intakes are pretty much worthless unless you are looking for a different sound as once the computer figures out what your have done and makes the adjustments to get things back to where the computer wants them, your performance is going to go right back to where it was before. I'm not an engineer, but from what I could find on the topics, I decided to pass on both the special filter and intake and stick with the stock box.

__________________
Bite the hand that feeds you . . . you've had more than enough to eat already.

wow theres alot of threads here about this. Well i can say this, my 2.5l tj was sucking down the gas like its free. since i drive it alot i have gas milage and hp on the brain alot.i installed a larger bore throttle(got it off ebay for 20 bucks 4.0L throttle)put 2.5 sensors on it, that helped a little, got a k&n air filter,helped more,took off the airbox inlet tube(helped out even more),installed a msd coil also for a 4.0L,did tune up ect.If i go off road i throw on the cheap filter so i dont care if it clogs. I also ended up having to replace my cat since the element broke in half inside with a random technologies cat and full 2 1/2 cat back exaust and i have got a heck of a lot more horse then when i brought the jeep. made a huge difference.since the engine has a deceint compression ratio its helps out if it was breath better. So to make it short every small thing i changed helped more each time without making alot of rough mods and still keeping it legal,my car runs alot better quicker throttle responce and much better on gas.Its not a huge improvemt in gas milage but better then it was and since i have to fill up every 3 days cause i drive so much, i have noticed a differnce.hope this helps.btw still will not go over 65.i still dont get that one but its made to go everywhere just not that fast

I am partial against K&N. I put a drop in K&N into one of my cars in the past and it fouled the MAF and f ed my car up really bad. Prior to install I even shook out the excess filter oil and there was still enough extra to foul the MAF. I lost significant HP and acceleration after putting in the K&N. I finally had enough and took it out and after a month or 2 ALL power returned to the car. Maybe I just bought a faulty filter but it ruined it with me for K&N.

I did have an Injen CAI on my 06 Eclipse GT, I could feel more throttle response and the sound is amazing at WOT. But I had to get some work done to it under warranty and my dealership were pricks and blamed it on my filter so I took it out to get warranty work done. (They couldnt prove that it was the CAI but I know I was going to trade in the Eclipse shortly so I took it out anyways.

I use K & N oil filters because they have the 1" hex end--easy removal, but

The K & N oil impregnated air filter is a total waste of time and money--on a jeep, there will be NO IMPROVEMENT in engine ops and a high chance of ECM trouble, especially after your first filter maintenance operation !!